Board of Elections looking into anonymous video, but no formal challenge filed

A YouTube video
posted Sunday suggests that some of the parking plan referendum petition
signatures might have been gathered without a legitimate witness, but city
and county officials are so far unsure whether the video, which was posted anonymously, will amount to
much.Under Ohio law, petitions require signatures from both a supporter, who must reside in Cincinnati in the case of parking petitions, and a witness, who must be an Ohio resident and witness the act of someone signing the petition. The video shows what seems to be parking petitions placed on business counters with limited supervision — potential evidence that some of the parking petitions were signed without a witness present.
Tim Burke, chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic
Party and Hamilton County Board of Elections, says the Board of
Elections is currently looking into what process needs to be followed as a result of the video.
Traditionally, Burke says, someone has to file a challenge,
which would then be investigated by the board. At that point, the board
would rely on subpoenas to get testimony from witnesses to determine
whether their petitions were valid.
“Under oath, circulators are likely to tell us the truth,”
Burke says. “Did you witness all the signatures on that parking petition? If he says no or she says no, ... then none of those
signatures are valid.”But Burke says it’s so far unclear whether that process will happen.
“The video is interesting, but it doesn’t prove anything,”
he says. “Any challenger would have to link each one of those shots in
the video to specific petitions that were signed by the circulator of
the petition that was on those counters.”
Even if someone did bring a challenge, it would
require nearly 4,000 invalid signatures to halt the parking plan referendum effort.
Yesterday, the Board of Elections announced the referendum effort had
gathered 12,446 valid signatures — considerably more than the 8,522
required.
“Because they are so far over, there’s going to have to be
more evidence by any petitioner that there are problems well beyond
those five or six sights shown in the video,” Burke says.Circulators who mishandled the process would
not face charges; instead, the signatures would simply be
discarded, according to Burke.
City Solicitor John Curp says the city’s law department is
taking “no side on whether there’s a vote,” and the city administration
has not taken action based on the video.
Curp says he would like to confirm whether those are parking petitions and if the video is factual in its presentation.
“If those were parking petitions, that was certainly troubling,” he says. “I hope this gets worked out in a timely manner.”
The parking plan would lease the city’s parking assets to
the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority to help balance the city’s
operating budget deficits for the next two years and fund development
projects around the city, including a downtown grocery store (“Parking Stimulus,” issue of Feb. 27).
Opponents say they’re concerned the plan will lead to
higher parking rates and extended hours that will hurt the local
economy. With 12,466 valid signatures, their referendum effort is
expected to culminate in a vote this November.
City officials previously warned that without the parking plan the city will have to lay off cops and firefighters.
The full video is embedded below:

An amendment in the Ohio House budget bill last week would make it so universities have to decide
between providing voting information to students or retaining millions
of dollars in out-of-state tuition money. The amendment would make it so
universities have to classify students as in-state — a classification
that means lower tuition rates — when providing documents necessary for
voting. Republicans claim the measure is “common sense” because anyone
voting for Ohio’s elections should be an Ohio resident. But the
amendment has provoked criticism from Democrats and universities alike,
who say universities are being thrown into the middle of a voter
suppression scheme.
An analysis from left-leaning Policy Matters Ohio found
the tax plan currently working through the Republican-controlled Ohio
legislature favors the wealthy.
The analysis also claimed there’s little evidence the across-the-board
tax cuts suggested would significantly help Ohio’s economy.
The plan still needs to be approved by the Republican-controlled Ohio
Senate and Republican Gov. John Kasich.
Council members are asking Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig to remain in Cincinnati
instead of taking a job in Detroit, but City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr.
didn’t seem convinced that much can be done. Dohoney said Craig’s
hometown is Detroit, a city that has suffered in recent years as the
local economy has rapidly declined.
Democratic Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald is running for governor, and he will make Cincinnati one of his first stops
for his campaign kick-off tour. FitzGerald is challenging Republican
Gov. John Kasich in 2014, who has held the governor’s office since 2010. A recent poll found Kasich in a comfortable position with a nine-point lead on
FitzGerald, but many respondents said they don’t know enough about
FitzGerald to have an opinion on him.
Greater Cincinnati home sales hit a six-year high in March,
with 2,190 homes sold. The strong housing market, which is recovering
from a near collapse in 2008, is widely considered by economists to be a
good sign for the overall economy.
But Ohio’s venture capital investments dropped to a two-year low, according to data from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association.
The Ohio EPA and Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District are partnering up to provide a $250,000 grant to help purchase equipment to screen, clean and sort glass — an important part of the recycling industry.
Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld is asking Cincinnatians to
forgo lunch on April 24 to take part in the Greater Cincinnati Day of
Fasting. The event will let participants “experience a small measure
of the hunger that is a part of many people’s daily lives,” according to
a press release from Sittenfeld’s office. Participants are also being
asked to donate money to the Freestore Foodbank. A ceremony for the
event will be held on April 24 at noon in Fountain Square.
The U.S. Senate is moving toward approving bill that would allow states to better enforce and collect online sales taxes.
Mars One is calling all applicants for a mission to colonize Mars in 2023.
The sport of the future is here: combat juggling:

Streetcar construction bids come over budget

The latest batch of bad streetcar news provoked a harsh
memo to the city manager’s office from Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, a Democrat who has long supported the $125
million transit project. In the memo, Qualls wrote about “serious
concerns” regarding the project’s costs and timetable.
“Whether people support or oppose the streetcar project,
everyone has a vested interest in getting the most for our public
dollars and in having the highest confidence in the management of the
project,” Qualls wrote. “While a council majority has continued to
support the project, council has not given the administration a ‘blank
check.’”
The memo suggested putting the streetcar project through
“intensive value engineering” to bring the project’s budget and timetable back in
line — preferably in time for the 2015 Major
League Baseball All-Star Game.
The memo is in response to streetcar construction bids coming in $26 million to $43 million over
budget. Meg Olberding, city spokesperson, says the bids leave the city with
two options: The city could take up the current bids, which could have their costs brought down upon further review, or the city could reject the
bids and rebid the project, which would cause delays. But Olberding also cautions that the administration is still working on fully reviewing the bids — a process that could take weeks or longer.
Qualls is running for mayor against John Cranley, a former
Democratic council member. Cranley has been a vocal opponent of the
streetcar project — creating a strong contrast between the two candidates that has placed the streetcar
in the center of the 2013 mayoral race.
Earlier today, Cranley held a press conference asking the
city to halt the streetcar project. In a statement, he argued it is “irresponsible” to continue work on the streetcar in light of the higher
costs.
CityBeat previously covered the streetcar and how it relates to the race between Qualls and Cranley (“Back on the Ballot,” issue of Jan. 23).

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted is pushing local election officials
to begin investigating legitimate cases of voter fraud or suppression.
He also vowed to continue pushing for uniform voting hours and
redistricting. During election season, Husted developed a bad reputation
around the nation for suppressive tactics, which CityBeat covered here, but it seems he’s now taking a more moderate tone.
It looks like in-person early voting didn’t rev up the
“African-American … voter turnout machine,” as Franklin County GOP
Chairman Doug Preisse claimed, after all. New numbers show in-person
early voting was a lot more popular in heavily Republican counties.
The loos are coming. A majority of City Council is on-board
with Councilman Chris Seelbach’s plan to install outdoor bathrooms,
much like the ones found in Portland, Ore. Seelbach promises the loos
will not cost $130,000, a potential price tag critics brought up to criticize the plan.
Hamilton County commissioners are not happy
with a city-approved Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) policy. The MSD
“responsible bidder” policy has been criticized by businesses for making
it impossible to win a contract. Joe Prus of Prus Construction is one
such critic: “We were listed as number one in the nation for our safety
program. Oddly enough, we are not responsible enough under the current
regulations that MSD have in their contracts.”
Cincinnati Public Schools are satisfied with their security, but they’re developing a new lockdown plan.
It started with a flier condoning rape, and now it’s
looking to end with some abuse in the justice system. The Miami rape
flier case just keeps getting more controversial. The case was
originally sealed, sparking some controversy; now, it’s been dropped altogether despite a guilty plea.
A new report found charter schools are evading state closure laws.
The Cincinnati Speech and Reading Intervention Center (CSR), formerly
W.E.B. Dubois Academy, was among the eight suspicious schools looked at
by Policy Matters Ohio.
Cincinnati’s central riverfront plan is winning an award
from the American Planning Association. The National Planning
Excellence Award for Implementation is for Cincinnati’s “success in
converting 195 acres of vast wasteland — between the Ohio River and
Cincinnati’s Central Business District — into an economically successful
and vital, mixed-use development with a dramatic new park,” according
to a press release.
An apartment developer may replace part of an Over-the-Rhine park with parking spaces. The move has sparked some pushback from locals.
Rumpke is building a new recycling facility. It will replace a former facility in St. Bernard that was destroyed by a fire.Audi is showing off its self-driving car. But what will humans do if the cars become self-aware?

Mayor candidate’s budget suggestions are inadequate, impossible

Former Democratic city council member John Cranley is kicking off his 2013 mayoral campaign by getting involved in budget talks. In a public hearing at City
Hall last week, Cranley tried to provide an alternative to privatizing the
city’s parking assets, which City Manager Milton Dohoney has suggested
to pay for $21 million of the city’s $34 million deficit.
“It’s not the citizen’s job to balance the budget, but let
me make it very easy for you,” Cranley said. “You have $12 million in
casino money that can be used but is currently being used on pet
projects, like street sculptures. The parking meters themselves produce
$7 million a year. That’s $19 million. And $5 million for garbage cans.
That’s $24 million. You only need ($21 million) to cancel the parking
privatization plan, so I got you $3 extra million to spare.”
In short, Cranley's alternative to parking privatization is using $12 million from
casino revenue, $7 million from keeping parking meters under city ownership and $5
million saved from not purchasing trash carts.
So how viable are Cranley’s ideas? In a memo, Dohoney’s
office responded. The memo points out that casino revenue is currently
estimated at $7.2 million, not $12 million, and $1.3 million is already
included in the budget for Focus 52, a neighborhood redevelopment project. That leaves casino revenues $6.1 million short of what Cranley proposed.
Regarding parking meters, Dohoney’s office says revenue
from parking meters is restricted to fund “operations and maintenance in
the right-of-way.” The memo says City Council could authorize using the money to plug the deficit, but it would then have to find
alternatives for funding operations and maintenance.
Even the trash cart proposal doesn’t work. Not buying trash carts would only
save $4.7 million, not $5 million. And the plan, which is part of the city’s effort to
semi-automate trash collection, is in the general capital budget,
not the general fund operating budget that’s being debated. The memo
concludes, “If the trash carts are not purchased, the funds would not be
available to close the gap because this is a capital budget expenditure
and resources supporting the capital budget cannot be used in the operating budget.”
In other words, Cranley’s “very easy” budget plan isn’t just difficult; it’s a mix of inadequate and impossible. If CityBeat was PolitiFact, Cranley’s suggestions would probably get him a “Pants on Fire” label.

Jac's roundup of pop culture news and Internet findings

Election season is
over! Regardless of how you voted, I think we can all celebrate the fact that
our portals to pop culture — television, radio, social media and the rest
of the Internet — will no longer be clogged with annoying political rants, campaign
advertisements and baseless polls, making more room for puppy cams, nail art
blogs, unflattering celebrity photos and other important things the American
people deserve.
But, since we’re
talking politics, this week we witnessed what can only be described as the
best Rom-com of 2012. Here’s a sampling of the finest presidential gifs:And, for old time's sake:As people in
Colorado and Washington are legalizing recreational weed, the cannabis king himself, now known as Snoop
Lion, is working on his first Reggae album. While the release date for Reincarnated is yet to be
announced, Snoop debuted his video first single under his new moniker, titled
“La La La.” While it’s no “Oh Sookie,” this colorful Jamaican adventure looks
straight out of Pee Wee’s Playhouse and was directed by Eli Roth (Hostel, Grindhouse).
Here’s a really
freaky map plotting out the expansion of Walmart locations over the past 40
years.
Remakes and
sequels have become a staple in Hollywood at this point. It’s irritating, but
can you blame ‘em? You’ve got your foundation already set, there’s a built-in
audience and, presumably, it requires a lot less effort than a completely
original work. Generally, I detest the modernization of classics (or even silly
childhood gems), but my heart skipped a beat when I read Disney is in the early
stages
of a Boy Meets World sequel.The ‘90s
T.G.I.F. staple followed Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) as he grew from an
adorable sixth grader to the best college-aged husband ever (oops, Spoiler
Alert). From 1993-2000 audiences got to know and love Cory, his family, BFF Sean, GF
Topanga and neighbor/principal Mr. Feeny. Girl
Meets World, Disney’s proposed sequel, is to follow Cory and Topanga’s
tween daughter as she comes of age herself *wipes tears*. Casting Savage and Danielle
Fishel (who played Cory’s main squeeze/’90s lioness) is crucial to this being
acceptable in my book. Savage’s work has been sparse in the past 10 years — a
couple indie flicks and a few single TV show episodes — and if Fishel can take
a break from her “I almost lost my virginity to Lance Bass”
tour, I’m thinking they can make this work.
In actually-confirmed-television-projects
news, MythBusters is working on an episode
devoted to Breaking Bad.
While Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage
won’t be cooking any of the blue stuff, they will be trying two experiments from the series’ first season. One involves the stomach-churning scene where Jesse uses hydrofluoric acid to dispose of some evidence. Since BB has offered countless other scenes begging to be myth-busted, there is talk of additional episodes dedicated to Walter White & Co. The episode, airing in Spring 2013, will feature Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman) and creator Vince Gilligan.
Breaking Bad is
one of those shows that, if you are or ever even plan to get into, you really don’t want anything to be
spoiled. But in this age of the Internet, where millions of people think an
unsolicited “woah can’t believe [character] just died on [series]” is a
necessary and interesting message to share with the world, spoilers lurk around
every corner. College Humor created a helpful guide to dancing around spoilers.
TV people, take note.

With a push from Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls and City Council approval, the Homeless to Homes plan is moving forward.
The shelter-moving plan, which was originally put together by
Strategies to End Homelessness, will use $37 million in loans to build
new shelters for the Drop Inn Center, City Gospel Mission and the YWCA.
But some homeless advocates have criticized the plan because it forces
them to move homeless shelters they don’t want to move. Josh Spring,
executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, says
the money could be spent better developing affordable housing and
creating jobs to help eliminate homelessness.
Just one day after President Barack Obama’s re-election, one left-leaning Ohio group was already making demands.
They want federal unemployment benefits renewed. The group’s research
director, supported by economic data, says the expiration of those
benefits could have bad repercussions for the unemployed and the federal
and state economies.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati investment professionals are beginning to renew worries about the federal fiscal cliff.
The fiscal cliff, which includes emergency unemployment benefits, is a
mix of tax hikes and budget cuts set to automatically occur at the end
of the year. The Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan agency
that measures the impact of federal budgets and policy, has warned about the fiscal cliff’s potential economic damage. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has also warned lawmakers about the fiscal cliff.
A state appeals court ruled today that the city of Cincinnati is allowed to reduce retirees’ health benefits.
The cuts in benefits are meant to shore up the city’s pension plan, but
retirees, including former City Clerk Sandy Sherman, filed a lawsuit arguing
the benefits can only be increased, not decreased. The case could still
move to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Hamilton County’s new Democratic sheriff, Jim Neil, is already making plans.
He says he favors alternative sentencing to deal with jail
overcrowding, and he wants to audit and restructure the sheriff
department’s budget to cut waste.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine will be in Cincinnati Thursday to unveil Cincinnati’s first prescription drug drop box. The drop boxes are meant to reduce prescription drug abuse and improper ingestion.
A sign of what could come to Cincinnati next spring: Columbus’s casino reported $18.3 million in revenue for its first month. Cincinnati’s Horseshoe Casino is currently being constructed and is expected to open in spring 2013.
Blue Ash-based Empire Marketing Strategies is buying a plant site in Mason for about $820,000, and it could create 200 jobs.
In case you missed it, CityBeat posted comprehensive election results for Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio and the U.S.
State Democrats and Republicans have an explanation for two incumbents losing in the Ohio Supreme Court: names.
On Democrat William O’Neill defeating Republican incumbent Robert Cupp,
Ohio Republican Party Chairman Robert Bennett said O’Neill won because
he has an Irish-American name. Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris
Redfern said, “Sharon Kennedy is a great ballot name. That’s why she
won.” Redfern says he will introduce legislation that will require party
affiliation to appear on the Ohio Supreme Court ballots.
The election didn’t change much in the Ohio Board of Education. It remains five Democrats and six Republicans.
Councilwoman Laure Quinlivan said the approval of Issue 4, which extends City Council terms to four years, will be good for local business. She argues “there’s a great business case to be made for having a more stable and reliable local government.”
While marijuana was legalized in some states, Butler County led what it believes is its biggest marijuana bust in history. More than 900 lbs of marijuana were seized.
Bill Cunningham, local conservative radio talk show host, may retire due to Obama’s re-election. Oh well.
In the story of another conservative meltdown, CityBeat has a special letter for the Lebanon tea party: We’re sorry.
Perhaps the national media’s most under-reported story of election night was that Puerto Ricans favored statehood in the polls for the first time. If Congress and Obama act, the island could become the 51st state.Popular Science has an open letter to President Barack Obama. While they like how Obama generally supports science funding more than a President Mitt Romney would, they want Obama to do more.

The election is over. All election results for Ohio can be viewed at the secretary of state's website.
All results for Hamilton County can be viewed at the Hamilton County Board of Elections website. President Barack Obama won over Mitt Romney in what can only be called
an electoral college landslide. He won every single “battleground state”
on CNN’s electoral map
with the current exception of Florida, although the current lead and
remaining demographics to be counted will likely tilt Florida to Obama.
Despite the insistence of conservatives and mainstream media pundits, models like FiveThirtyEight that predicted a big Obama win were entirely accurate.
In the U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown also handily won over Republican challenger Josh Mandel. CityBeat covered the policy and campaign differences between the two candidates in coverage of the first, second and third debate and a cover story.
For the First U.S. Congressional District, Republican incumbent Steve Chabot beat Democratic challenger Jeff Sinnard.
The big takeaway from election night at a federal level: Billions of dollars
spent on campaigns later, the U.S. House of Representatives remains in
Republican hands, the U.S. Senate remains in Democratic hands and the
White House remains in Democratic hands. In other words, billions of
dollars were spent to change almost nothing.
At the state level, Issue 1, which called for a
constitutional convention, lost. But Issue 2, which was an attempt at
redistricting reform, lost as well. CityBeat covered the rise and details of Issue 2 in a story and commentary.
In the state’s legislature races, incumbents swept.
Republican Bill Seitz beat Democrat Richard Luken for the eighth district
of the Ohio Senate. Republican Peter Stautberg beat Democrat Nathan
Wissman for the 27th district of the Ohio House. Democrat Connie Pillich
beat Republican Mike Wilson for the 28th district of the Ohio House.
Republican Louis Blessing beat Democrat Hubert Brown for the 29th
district of the Ohio House. Republican Lou Terhar beat Democrat Steven
Newsome for the 30th district of the Ohio House. Democrat Denise
Driehaus beat Republican Michael Gabbard for the 31st district of the
Ohio House. Democrat Dale Mallory beat Republican Ron Mosby for the 32nd
district of the Ohio House. Democrat Alicia Reece beat Republican Tom
Bryan for the 33rd district of the Ohio House.
For the Ohio Supreme Court, Republican Terrence O’Donnell
kept his seat against Mike Skindell. But Democrat William O’Neill beat
Republican incumbent Robert Cupp, and Republican Sharon Kennedy beat
Democratic incumbent Yvette Brown.
At the local level, Issue 4, which gives City Council
four-year terms, was approved. Issue 42, which renewed a tax levy
for Cincinnati Public Schools, passed. Issue 50, a tax levy for senior
health services, was approved. Issue 51, a tax levy for mental health
services, was approved.
In Hamilton County offices, things got a bit more blue
overall. Republican incumbent Joe Deters beat Democrat Janaya Trotter
for the prosecutor attorney’s office. Democrat Pam Thomas beat
Republican incumbent Tracy Winkler for the office of the clerk of the court of common pleas. Democrat Jim Neil beat Republican
Sean Donovan for the sheriff's office. Democratic incumbent Wayne Coates beat Republican Wayne
Lippert for the county recorder's office. Republican incumbent Robert Goering barely beat Democrat Jeff
Cramerding for the county treasurer's office. Democratic incumbent Lakshmi Sammarco beat Republican Pete
Kambelos for the county coroner's office.In the lower courts, Republican incumbent Pat Fischer beat Democrat Martha Good and Republican Pat DeWine beat Democrat Bruce Whitman for the First District Court of Appeals. Democratic incumbent Nadine Allen and Republican Leslie Ghiz beat Democrat Stephen Black and Republican Heather Russel for the court of common pleas.In other states, gay marriage and marijuana were legalized. Minnesota voted against a same-sex marriage ban. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin also became the first openly gay candidate to win election for the U.S. Senate. Overall, the night was a big win for progressives all around the country.
The Cincinnati Enquirer did not have a smooth Election Day. The Enquirer mistakenly published false early voting results,
and the fake results were picked up by a conservative news reporting
website. Providing voting results before polls close is typically
frowned upon in media circles to avoid discouraging voters with
potentially disappointing numbers.
Ohio could be short on physicians in the future. By 2020, the state might need to fill a gap of just more than 5,000 physicians, according to Dayton Daily News.
In September, U.S. employers posted the fewest job openings in five months, according to U.S. Department of Labor. On the bright side, layoffs dropped as well.
Cincinnati-based Macy’s beat third quarter estimates and reported strong earnings.
CyrusOne, a Cincinnati Bell subsidiary, bought a downtown building for $18 million. The purchase is part of CyrusOne’s proposed spin-off from Cincinnati Bell.
Cincinnati-based Kroger is looking good for investors. One money management firm told clients Kroger stock is “an exceptional value.”
U.S. hospitals are on track for 124 mass layoffs in 2012, which could cost 8,700 jobs by the end of the year. However, jobs numbers are still up overall in hospitals.

Democrats, progressives make gains all around nation

A version of this article was originally published in Morning News and Stuff, but to wrap up this year's overly long election coverage, we figured it would be a good idea to republish the results as a standalone article. You're welcome!The election is finally over. All election results for Ohio can be viewed at the secretary of state's website.
All results for Hamilton County can be viewed at the Hamilton County Board of Elections website. President Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney in what can only be called
an electoral college landslide. He won every single “battleground state”
on CNN’s electoral map
with the current exception of Florida, although the current lead and
remaining demographics to be counted will likely tilt Florida to Obama.
Despite the insistence of conservatives and mainstream media pundits, models like FiveThirtyEight that predicted a big Obama win were entirely accurate.
In the U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown also handily beat Republican challenger Josh Mandel. CityBeat covered the policy and campaign differences between the two candidates in coverage of the first, second and third debate and a cover story.
For the First U.S. Congressional District, Republican incumbent Steve Chabot beat Democratic challenger Jeff Sinnard.
The big takeaway from election night at a federal level: Billions of dollars
spent on campaigns later, the U.S. House of Representatives remains in
Republican hands, the U.S. Senate remains in Democratic hands and the
White House remains in Democratic hands. In other words, billions of
dollars were spent to change almost nothing.
At the state level, Issue 1, which called for a
constitutional convention, lost. But Issue 2, which was an attempt at
redistricting reform, lost as well. CityBeat covered the rise and details of Issue 2 in a story and commentary.
In the state’s legislature races, incumbents swept.
Republican Bill Seitz beat Democrat Richard Luken for the eighth district
of the Ohio Senate. Republican Peter Stautberg beat Democrat Nathan
Wissman for the 27th district of the Ohio House. Democrat Connie Pillich
beat Republican Mike Wilson for the 28th district of the Ohio House.
Republican Louis Blessing beat Democrat Hubert Brown for the 29th
district of the Ohio House. Republican Lou Terhar beat Democrat Steven
Newsome for the 30th district of the Ohio House. Democrat Denise
Driehaus beat Republican Michael Gabbard for the 31st district of the
Ohio House. Democrat Dale Mallory beat Republican Ron Mosby for the 32nd
district of the Ohio House. Democrat Alicia Reece beat Republican Tom
Bryan for the 33rd district of the Ohio House.
For the Ohio Supreme Court, Republican Terrence O’Donnell
kept his seat against Mike Skindell. But Democrat William O’Neill beat
Republican incumbent Robert Cupp, and Republican Sharon Kennedy beat
Democratic incumbent Yvette Brown.
At the local level, Issue 4, which gives City Council
four-year terms, was approved. Issue 42, which renewed a tax levy
for Cincinnati Public Schools, passed. Issue 50, a tax levy for senior
health services, was approved. Issue 51, a tax levy for mental health
services, was approved.
In Hamilton County offices, things got a bit more blue
overall. Republican incumbent Joe Deters beat Democrat Janaya Trotter
for the prosecutor attorney’s office. Democrat Pam Thomas beat
Republican incumbent Tracy Winkler for the office of the clerk of the court of common pleas. Democrat Jim Neil beat Republican
Sean Donovan for the sheriff's office. Democratic incumbent Wayne Coates beat Republican Wayne
Lippert for the county recorder's office. Republican incumbent Robert Goering barely beat Democrat Jeff
Cramerding for the county treasurer's office. Democratic incumbent Lakshmi Sammarco beat Republican Pete
Kambelos for the county coroner's office.In the lower courts, Republican incumbent Pat Fischer beat Democrat Martha Good and Republican Pat DeWine beat Democrat Bruce Whitman
for the First District Court of Appeals. Democratic incumbent Nadine
Allen and Republican Leslie Ghiz beat Democrat Stephen Black and
Republican Heather Russel for the court of common pleas.In other states, gay marriage and marijuana were legalized. Minnesota voted against a same-sex marriage ban. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin also became the first openly gay candidate to win election for the U.S. Senate. Overall, the night was a big win for progressives all around the country.

By the time this article is published,
the month of early voting and
Election Day will have come to a close, and voters will have made their
choices. But when it’s all said and done, voters will
be making those choices not thanks to Ohio Secretary of State Jon
Husted, but despite him.